Why
do you seek the living among the dead?
Luke
24:4
It seemed like a rather absurd
question. The women had come to the tomb not looking for the
living but to complete the process of preparing Jesus’ body for its
final rest. They would anoint it with spices and perfumes. It
was a ritual act of honor. A way to honor their friend, teacher and
mentor; the only one who had seen them not as lowly women but as
followers and disciples. They had come looking for the dead,
not the living. So when the men in dazzling white appeared and
asked the question, “Why are you looking for the living among the
dead?” their answer would have been, “We’re not.” So it
would have seemed like a rather absurd question.
The good news for the women and
for us is that this was not an absurd question. It was a
question rooted and grounded in reality. In other words, if
they were looking for Jesus in the place of the dead, they were not
going to find him. They needed to re-enter their search
parameters and look among the living, for that is where they would
find him. They would find him there because God had broken both
the power of sin and death and raised Jesus. He was alive.
This Easter morning, you and I
have the opportunity to once again find the living Jesus. Granted
we will not find him wandering around our columbarium, but we will
find him at work all around us; at work loving, forgiving,
encouraging and empowering us. We will find him in the quiet of
our prayers and in the music of worship that soars around us. We
will find not a deceased icon but a living Lord who calls us to lives
of mission, inclusion and community.
This morning then, let us give
thanks and declare that Jesus is not dead but risen. Hallelujah!
Living God, we give you thanks that you raised your Son Jesus from the dead. Give us the ability to experience his living presence this day and always. Amen
Rev. John Judson
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